Carus

Carus (222-August 283) was Roman emperor from 282 to 283, succeeding Probus and preceding Carinus.

Biography
Carus was born in 222 AD in Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis (Narbonne, France), and he was educated in Rome before becoming a senator. In 282, Emperor Probus appointed him Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, and he was proclaimed emperor by Probus' soldiers after the emperor's assassination in Sirmium. He made his sons Carinus and Numerian caesars, his co-emperors, and he left Carinus in control of the western parts of the empire as Carus and Numerian embarked on a campaign against the Sassanids of Persia in the Middle East. His army annexed Mesopotamia and pressed on to Ctesiphon and Seleucia, marching past the Tigris. Carus was given the title "Persicus Maximus" for avenging all of the previous Roman defeats, but he died from a lightning strike in August 283, leading to his son Carinus succeeding him.